In the past week I have been walking around a little bit more than normal and noticed a few things. I saw a dog that only had three legs. He was hopping around a little bit but actually was moving pretty well considering. I also noticed a man in a wheelchair who appeared to have a broken leg. The third thing I noticed was a young man who was using a walker to get around.
You are probably saying "Okay, what’s the connection?" and "What does it all mean?"
The real interesting thing for me is the dog’s tail was wagging a million times a minute and the other two people had huge smiles on their faces.
I believe there is a huge life lesson there. No matter what, you have to have the right attitude — always positive for me. The glass has to be half full.
I realize that there are a lot of bad things that are going on with the economy but no matter what, if you have the right attitude, I believe it can help you not only get through the week or month but can make a difference.
- The question is, do you have the right attitude?
- Do you focus on the positive?
- Do you try and make things better each and every day at home or at work?
- Do you believe that most people have the right attitude?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Michael Halberstam says:
There’s no point (Lakers!) having a bad attitude. Life is so much easier (Lakers!!) when you’re positive. The people around you whether at work or at home (Or at Staples Center rooting for the Lakers!!!) function better and are happier themselves. I often tell my daughter that being happy (especially when rooting for the Lakers!!!!) will make her smile and have more fun. Yes, the economy and market research business are off but there are so many good stories and people (Lakers!!!!!!) to make life rewarding.
Thanks Merrill for keeping the faith and for pointing out that attitude (Lakers!!!!!!!) is so important.
Magda Cooling says:
OK, Michael, we get that the Lakers won last night!
(Go Kings – NEXT season)
Amber Leila Jones says:
I am personally a perpetual pessimist, the glass is not only half empty, BUT it also is contaminated water AND since it is standing water the possibility exists for West Nile Virus to be contracted….
With that said, I have recently taken the approach that if I cannot change it or fix it, I don’t worry about it and that has done wonders for me. I have also decided that in the grand scheme of things I am a pretty fortunate person in all regards and I should always smile when I see a flower in bloom or a rainbow or anything else that is just a little reminder of how grand life is.
I will still assume everything that can go wrong will and I will still believe the worst in most cases, but I am trying and that is all you can do….
Ginger Blazier says:
I am the perpetual optimist, which at times brings on disappointment, because not everything always happens in a positive light, as I would like it to. I have learned that all things occur for a reason and I try to see the good, even in bad situations. Having the right attitude certainly helps your mental and physical health. I have been a witness to that many times in my life. Don’t take things too seriously, because in the end things will work out. And remember all things happen for a reason!
Hope you all have a great day!
Melanie Courtright says:
Thanks, Merrill. What a wonderful thought process to start the week. I have a book on my shelf called “Change the Way You See Everything” and I flipped through it again this morning. It’s all about seeing everything as an asset. I cannot control my circumstances, but I can control how I respond to them.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Melanie,
Very good point! You are 100% right people can control how they respond to things – a lesson all of us should learn.
Nice contribution.
Merrill
Amy Shields says:
This is such a great topic and one that I would hope all of your bloggers/readers would feel is an honor to contribute to. As easy as it would be for me to speak to how I’ve tried to incorporate positivity into my children’s way of thinking, I think the words of other’s is much more impactful. I have had two quotes on my board at work (at 3 companies) for over 15 years: “Our attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how we respond to circumstances. Our mind determines our attitude. We can respond positively or negatively.” – Wynn Davis. And, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Unknown.
I have always been inspired by people who have been inflicted by/with tragedy and who respond with dignity and a positive attitude (think of Randy Pausch and “The Last Lecture”), and have a very hard time being around people who perpetually have a negative attitude. Yes; life can and will be messy at times, but none of us has an infinite amount of time in THIS life…I would like to think that each moment, and how we respond to each, matters a great deal in terms of the quality of our life. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed by something, big or small, I repeat, “This is a minor inconvenience” (thanks JR for that lesson), because no matter how bad I think something is, somebody else is going through something worse.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Amy,
Appreciate your comments. I still get chocked up thinking about the Randy Pausch Lecture. That was an amazing man – all he wanted to do was teach others and have them learn from what he was going through. Amazing life lessons for sure!
Thanks again.
Merrill
Steve Gentile says:
Merrill -
As you know through my prior posts, I am from a large Italian American family that was big, no HUGE, even GIGANTIC!!! on attitude. No one was ever “sort of” anything, meaning they either LOVED IT or HATED IT, and, what’s best – they were NEVER QUIET ABOUT IT!
Talk about attitude – plenty of it and plenty leftover. And people wonder what attracted me to this work.
Having the “right” attitude is not only everything, it’s the only thing! And there’s the line from Young Frankenstein – “Could be worse, could be raining!” THUNDERCLAP – here in the East, it’s been day after day of rain, and glimmers of beautiful sunsets/sunrises that are breathtaking. It’s all in the point of view – make yours the best and remember to accept and see the POV of others – that makes progress.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Steve,
Appreciate your comments – very good points. I think attitude (having the right attitude) is everything. I actually look for that when I am interviewing potential candidates.
Thanks.
Merrill
Paul Kirch says:
Great topic Merrill… I have to say, I’ve gone through periods in my life where I let negativity overwhelm me. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years focusing on the achieving and maintaining a positive mindset. Today, I’d call myself a optimist, though I also believe I’m a realist. I have a close friend that is calls herself a realist, but I’d view her as a (borderline) pessimist. Her view is that she’ll not be disappointed if she doesn’t set her expectations high. I see it from a different perspective… I’m disappointed if I don’t do my best and strive for the goals I set. If I don’t reach them, it’s time to stop and evaluate why. This works for me and motivates me. For me, attitude is everything. Yes, I still face those days of self-doubt, but I try and turn that around and go for it. It’s amazing how we all handle things and see things differently. In the end, the people that have left the biggest impression where those who exude a great attitude. Not fake or blind, but just focused on the right things.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Paul,
Good comments – it is great to hear when someone will say they were one way and overtime has changed…. good for you… scary but maybe we are all getting a little older, wiser and more mature..:).. I know I am.
I actually think most people look at the glass half empty especially now since the economy is very challenging.
Merrill
Paul Kirch says:
Thanks Merrill. It is something I’ve had to work at and it’s easy to be the other way. I just know I don’t like feeling like that and choose to keep a look on the horizon. I do believe it can be a choice for a lot of people, but it’s a choice that takes work. I recently read an article about a man who had been fairly successful and lost his wife and kids in a car crash, while he was driving. He suffered sever depression and just gave up on life. He lost everything… He ended up homeless, living off of scraps and was living with no hope. It was about the choices he made. In the end, he made a choice to stop living like that and focus on getting his life back. He dedicated everything to it. He scraped money together to buy a suit at a thrift store, cleaned himself up, interviewed and got a job working at a fast-food restaurant, where he saved his money and eventually was able to get a place to live, a step up from the shelter he was living in at the time (a step up from the alley he slept in). In the end, he got his life back and then some, because he believed. I figure if he can do that, I can do what I want. It’s stories like that keep me inspired.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Paul,
That is a great story – appreciate you sharing. Sen me the link to the article if you get a chance.
Thanks.
Merrill
Steve Gentile says:
@ Merrill & Paul – really great stuff and just confirmation that the right attitude – no matter what or where you are in life – is critical and key to your emotional well being. Life hands you (or you attract) the issues in your world as presentation for learning and growth. As you both know, just over a year ago, I was presented with a surprise challenge, much like Paul is presented with now. Yell at the pitcher all you want, blame your teammates, even yell at the owner – eventually, it comes down to you, the bat in your hand, and the ball waiting to be hit as well as you can hit it. Step up to the plate and give it all you’ve got – this is the challenge throughout our lives.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Attitude Change Fuels Arkansas’ Surge
In mid-May, Arkansas’ baseball season was in shambles. A lightning start that had the Razorbacks ranked No. 1 nationally in some polls had given way to a numbing slump that threatened the team’s NCAA tournament chances.
Arkansas now is in the finals of its bracket in the College World Series. A postseason surge few could have foreseen has transformed the Razorbacks from woebegone losers to feel-good winners.
“It seemed once the regular season was over we were all disappointed,” coach Dave Van Horn said. “But we still had the No. 1 goal in front of us — to win the national championship.
“To do that, we had to get to Omaha. We challenged our players. Did they want to be remembered as the team that started off fast and faded or the one that finished strong?”
The players opted for the latter.
After pounding No. 2 seed Cal State-Fullerton 10-6 in its opener, Arkansas was knocked into the losers bracket with a 9-1 defeat to LSU.
That set the stage for Wednesday’s thrilling 4-3, 12-inning elimination-game victory against Virginia.
The Razorbacks were down to their last strike, trailing 3-1 in the ninth, before Brett Eibner slammed a tying home run.
Dallas Keuchel, who went six innings against Fullerton, pitched the final four innings in his first relief appearance.
That allowed senior Andrew Darr to double home the winning run in the 12th and give Arkansas another chance against LSU today. The Razorbacks need to beat the Tigers twice to advance, but that doesn’t faze them.
“We’ve been like this all year,” Van Horn said of Arkansas’ resilient nature. “We were fighting for our lives, and we struggled and lost a lot of close games. Then we kind of got on a roll.”
None of this would have seemed believable in May. Arkansas closed the regular season by losing its last eight Southeastern Conference games. It headed into the postseason 9-16 in its last 25 games.
That all changed in the Norman (Okla.) Regional. The Razorbacks went 3-0, beating host and No. 7 national seed Oklahoma twice. Then they went 2-0 at Florida State in the super regionals, rallying in the ninth inning to win the clinching game on another timely double from Darr.
Arkansas’ clutch play in Omaha is a reflection of its season. The Razorbacks are 7-1 in extra innings and have won 16 games when they were tied or trailing in the seventh inning or later. They have produced 11 of their 15 runs in the CWS with two outs.
“Any team that’s playing well is getting big hits with two outs,” Van Horn said. “We’ve really been getting that. Sometimes when it’s going, it’s going. And it’s really going.”
Arkansas now must beat an LSU team that has won three of four from the Razorbacks this season and has a rested and ready pitching staff.
“It would be nice to get off to a nice start,” Van Horn said. “That’s kind of been our problem against LSU. We’re behind quick, and it’s hard to bounce back against them.”
Merrill Dubrow says:
I recently rec this email that I thought had some great points:
LET IT REALLY SINK IN…… THEN CHOOSE .
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, ‘If I were any better, I would be twins!’
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, ‘I don’t get it!’
‘You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?’
He replied, ‘Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or…you can chooseto be in a bad mood
I choose to be in a good mood.’
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or…I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or…I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
‘Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,’ I protested.
‘Yes, it is,’ he said. ‘Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.’
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, ‘If I were any better, I’d be twins…Wanna see my scars?’
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
‘The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,’ he replied. ‘Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or…I could choose to die. I chose to live.’
‘Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?’ I asked.
He continued, ‘…the paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action.’
‘What did you do?’ I asked.
‘Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,’ said John. ‘She asked if I was allergic to anything ‘Yes, I replied.’ The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity”
Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude…I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ Matthew 6:34.
After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
You have two choices now:
01. Delete this
02. Forward it to the people you care about.
You know the choice I made.